BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ A dead German tourist was probably killed by a shark as he swam a short distance from the shore of a small island in southern Thailand, police said Friday.

Stephan Kahl, 35, from Hamburg, suffered two major bite wounds which cut an artery on his right calf and a smaller bite on his right wrist when he was attacked about 110 yards offshore.

Kahl died soon after he was rescued by tourists and boatmen at Tharn Sadet Bay off a small island near Surat Thani province, 330 miles south of Bangkok.

``He lost a lot of blood and died on his way to a government hospital on Pha Ngan Island, some 30 minutes away by ferry,'' said Police Col. Suwan Lelaporn, Pha Ngan Island police superintendent.

Villagers doubted whether it was a shark that attacked him, although the bay is known as a shelter for tiger sharks.

Sharks have never been sighted close to shore nor have they attacked anyone. Villagers suspected it was a large marine creature known as a bull fish, which can be aggressive, but are not carnivorous, police said. Kahl's body will undergo an autopsy.

Thailand is near the peak of its tourist season. Sandy beach islands in the Gulf of Thailand like Pha Ngan are a popular destination for foreign tourists and backpackers, who often go snorkeling and diving. Such accidents are rare.